This invention relates to a strut assembly for a motor vehicle.
Strut assemblies for a motor vehicle typically comprise a strut and spring. The strut connects the vehicle frame to a wheel of the vehicle. The spring serves to cushion vibrations experienced by a wheel attached to the strut, while the strut serves to dampen the force experienced by the spring. The spring is frequently a helical coil spring coiled around the strut, which may comprise a rod attached to a piston disposed in a cylinder, such as a McPherson strut. The rod telescopes relative to the cylinder.
As a consequence of forces from the road on the wheel and the positioning of the strut relative to the wheel and vehicle, the strut may experience a force lateral to the direction of the telescoping movement between the rod and cylinder. This force creates friction at the sealing interface between the rod and cylinder, causing the strut to telescope in less than optimal fashion.
One way of solving this problem is to shape the coil spring in the form of a c-shaped curve. The spring is shaped in this way to create a force to offset force at the sealing interface. However, this particular design may make the spring less responsive to road shocks along the strut.
A need therefore exists for a strut assembly that offsets the lateral forces experienced at the sealing interface of the strut without losing spring responsiveness along the direction of the strut.